Luggage tray



Jan. 6, 1942. w. c. CHESNUT I I 2,269,252

LUGGAGE TRAY Filed Oct 20. 1958 ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 6, 1942 LUGGAGE TRAY William C. Chesnut, Racine, Wis., assignor to Hartman Trunk Company, Racine, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin I Application October 20, 1938, Serial No. 235,989

4 Claims. (Cl. 190 -41) This invention relates to improvements in luggage trays.

The present invention is concerned particularly with that type of hand luggage wherein there is a garment tray having a support adjacent the rear wall thereof for 'removably receiving a plurality of hangers and wherein there is a flap swingable over said tray and hangers around which the free ends of garments supported on'the hangers may be folded. Heretofore the garment folding flaphas been hingedly connectedto the rear of the tray by a flexible section of fabric and in Bracken Patent No. 1,842,578 this flexible section permits the'fiap to adapt its closing position tothe number of garments being carried and to the number of hangers on the support. This flexible section is desirable, as .far as accomplishing the object sought is concerned but is,'however, in certain conditions of use inclined to sag.

The presentinvention contemplates the provision of a novel and improved form of hinge connection for the tray flap wherein the fiap is connected to the tray by spaced pivot members, such as trunnions, and wherein said pivot members are so supported as to permit movement thereof in a direction perpendicular to thebottom of the.

tray whereby the closing position of the. tray is automatically adapted to the number? of garments being carried. 1

A further object of the invention isto provide in a luggage tray as above described novel brackthe ends of the trunnions, when the latter are in elevated position,' for preventing transverse, movement of the trunnions and flap.

A further object of the invention isto provide a luggage tray wherein the garmentfolding flap is formedof a covered wire frame and wherein 'pe'arance, and well adapted for the purpose described.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved luggage tray and allits parts and combinations as set forth in the claims and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating one complete, embodiment of the preferred form of the, invention in which the'same reference numerals designate the same parts in all of the views: p

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of-the improved luggage tray;

Fig. 2' is a plan view thereof on a larger scale, part of the garment foldingflap being broken away; H H Fig. 3 is an enlargedsectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. -2 showing the position of the parts when a single suit is being carried in the tray; V

Fig. 4 is a similar View showing the position of the parts when two suits are being carried in the tray; W I

Fig.5 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the trunnion supporting brackets;

. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detailed View taken on I line 6-6 of Fig. 2; and I f'Fig. '7 is a fragmentary detailed view of one of the rear corners of the garment folding flap showing how thetrunnions are formed from the wire frame. 1

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral 8 designates generally the garment tray, which tray is formed from any suitable material and which comprises a bottom 9, sidewalls lfland H, and a rear wall l2. Looped straps l3 forming handles may be secured to the side walls ill and II to facilitate liftingthe tray out of a suitcase.

Disposed adjacent the inner side, of the rear wall l2 of the tray intermediate its length, is a hangersupport having a portion l5 which exthe wire forming said frame is bent outwardly on opposite sides and doubled upon extensions of a connecting wire frame part to provide flap trunf nions formed integral with said wire frame.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a luggage tray which is simple and inexpensive in construction, strong and durable, neat in ante'nds perpendicularly to the bottom of the tray in spaced position from the back wall and having a narrowedneck portion l6 bent at right angles to the portion I 5 and connected to the back wall 12. Coat hangers I'I may be provided with connecting plates l8 which are slotted as at IQ-for cooperation with the portion l5 of the hanger support in the manner shownin Fig. 2.

J The slots IQ of the hangers communicate. with the on the narrowed part IQ of the hanger support, they are locked in place and can only be removed from the tray when they are pulled upwardly into registration with the narrowed part l6 of the hanger support.

In each of the rear corners of the tray 8 is a bracket 20 formed from a strip of metal bent to inverted U-shape, and leg 2| of the bent strip has an attaching plate 22 extending at an angle thereto and formed integral therewith. This plate is provided with apertures 23. The other leg 24 of the bracket has its lower portion bent inwardly as at 25 to provide a stop. The structureof the bracket is such that there is provided an elongated opening 26 between the bracket portions 2| and 24 which opening extends perpendicularly to the bottom of the tray when the bracket is in position. The brackets are secured to the side walls I and II of the tray by rivets orthe like 2'! extending through the apertures 23 of the attaching plates 22. When the brackets are installed the lower end stop 25 is spaced somewhat above the bottom of the tray and the upper end of each bracket projects above the upper edge of the rear and side walls of the tray as at 28. In order to form an end closure for the projecting portion of the bracket, tabs 29 may be bent from one of the legs of the inverted U- shaped portion as clearly shown in Figs and 6.

The garment folding flap designated generally by the numeral 30 consists of a U-shaped wire frame comprising side frame parts 3| and 32 and a rear frame part 33. The front ends of the side frame parts 3| and 32 are connected to the ends of a rod 34 and the entire frame is covered with fabric or other suitable material to form a relatively strong but light-weight flap. In order to form trunnions for pivotally connecting the flap to the tray, the inner ends of the frame wires 3| and 32 are bent outwardly as at 35 (see Fig. '7) and are doubled upon extensions 36 of the wire frame part 33 which connects the side frame parts 3| and 32. Thus the trunnions, designated generally by the numeral 31, are formed as an integral part of the wire frame for the flap 3!]. The doubled wire parts 35 and 36 forming the trunnions may have thin metal 38 wrapped therearound, as shown in Fig. 6, to improve the appearance of the trunnions. 'These trunnions 31 operate within the elongated openings 26 of the brackets 20 and hingedly connect the flap 30 to the garment tray. The trunnions will rotate in the brackets to permit the flap to be swung upwardly to expose the interior of the tray and if it is desired the trunnions may be lifted to an elevated position within the extensions 28 of the brackets. When in such position, the flap may be swung rearwardly to at least a horizontal position over the back wall of the tray. When the trunnions are in an elevated position in the brackets the ends of the trunnions engage the tabs 29 to prevent transverse movement of the trunnions and flap. Such movement would be undesirable as it might cause disengagement of the trunnions from the brackets.

It is to be noted that the flap 3|! is of less width than the, tray to provide spaces 39 on each side of the flap whereby trousers may be folded around the edges 3| and 32 of the flap. The tabs 29 at the upper endsof the brackets, which tabs prevent transverse movement of the trunnionswhen the latter are in elevated position, also serve to maintain the spacing at 39 uniform.

In use of the tray, if only one garment is to be carried, only one hanger need be employed. The

coat 4|] may be placed on the hanger H and the hanger inserted on the hanger support l4 while the flap 30 is in raised position. The free end of the coat may then be permitted to drape over the front edge of the tray. Next the trousers 4| are folded around one of the side edges 3| or 32 of the flap and the flap is lowered to a position over the tray. The free ends 42 of the coat are then folded over the upper surface of the flap as shown clearly in Fig. 3. Due to the elongated slots 26 in the brackets, which slots permit movement of the trunnions in a direction perpendicular to the bottom of the tray, the flap may readily adapt its position to the number of garments being carried. As shown in Fig. 4, two garments 40 and 43 are supported on hangers l1 and 44 and it is apparent that in the final packing, the trunnions 31 are located in a higher position in the brackets than in Fig. 3.

The present invention therefore provides a very simple yet firm type of hinge connection while permitting the position of the flap to readily adapt itself to the number of garments being carried.

The garment folding tray when packed may be placed in the main body portion of a suitcase to be supported in an elevated position on lugs, and the cover of the suitcase is adapted to close down over the packed garment tray.

In the present invention wherein the flap is connected at the ends of its rearedge only to the tray, the center of the flap may be permitted to bulge or bow upwardly to allow for more bulk in the center of the tray. It is obviously very desirable that the position of the tray adapt itself. to the number of garments being carried within the tray because when only one suit is being carried, as shown in Fig. 3, various other articles may be packed on top of the flap 30 and still be within the confines of the sidewalls of the tray. Thus no space. is wasted.

Although only one form of the invention has been shown and described, it is obvious that various changes may be'made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention and all of such changes are contemplated as may come within the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a luggage tray having a bottom, a back, and sidewalls, brackets mounted in the back corners. of said tray and having elongated openings extending approximately perpendicularly to the tray bottom, a flap swingable over garments within the tray and having trunnions projecting from its rear corners and positioned in said elongated openings of-the brackets whereby said flap is pivotally connected to the tray,' said trunnions being slidable in' said elongated bracket openings to adapt the position of the flap to the number of garments being carried in the tray, said corner brackets each having a loop portion forming a continuation of the trunnion openings projecting above the back and side walls of the tray, and tabs bent from and positioned behind the projecting loop portions of the trunnion openings and engaged by the. ends of the trunnions when the latter are in an elevated position for preventing transverse movement of the trunnions and flap.

2. In a luggage receptacle having a bottom, a back, and side walls, brackets mounted in the back corners of said receptacle, each bracket comprising a strip of. metal .bent to U form to provide a. vertically extending elongated trunnion receiving opening having a closed upper end which projects above the upper edge of the back wall of the receptacle, one leg of the U having an integral attaching plate projecting from an edge of said leg and projecting no higher than the upper edge of the side wall, and means extending through said plate for attaching said bracket to a wall of the receptacle.

3. In a luggage receptacle having a bottom, a back, and side walls, brackets mounted in the back corners of said receptacle, each bracket comprising a strip of metal bent to inverted U form to provide a vertically extending elongated trunnion receiving opening with the closed end of the U projecting above the upper edge of the back wall of the receptacle, one leg of the U having an integral attaching plate bent at right angles from the rear longitudinal edge of said leg, with the upper end of said plate terminating below the closed projecting end of the U and projecting no higher than the upper edge of the side wall, and the other leg of the U having its lower end bent inwardly short of the bottom of the receptacle to form a bottom stop for the trunnion receiving opening, and means extending through said plate for attaching said bracket to the side wall of the receptacle.

4. In a luggage receptacle having a bottom, a back, and side walls, brackets mounted in the back corners of said receptacle, each bracket comprising a strip of metal bent to inverted U form to provide a vertically extending elongated trunnion receiving opening with the closed end of the U projecting above the upper edge of the back wall of the receptacle, one leg of the U having an integral attaching plate bent at right angles from the rear longitudinal edge of said leg. with the upper end of said plate terminating below the closed projecting end of the, U and projecting no higher than the upper edge of the side wall, and there being a tab connected to a rear edge portion of the metal strip to lie behind the upper projecting portion of the trunnion receiving opening.

' WILLIAM C. CHESNUT. 

